People in the United States are starting to really like a special kind of food that mixes Indian and Chinese tastes. This food is called Indo-Chinese. It has things like spicy cauliflower and special noodles that many people, including those from India and Americans, enjoy eating. Some restaurants that serve food from India and Nepal are making these dishes for their customers. A long time ago, people from China came to a place called Kolkata in India and made this kind of food. Now, you can find it in many places, like in the United States.
Lots of different people like to eat Indo-Chinese food. It has strong tastes and mixes things from China and India in a fun way. Kids and their families like to eat noodles and other dishes from this kind of food. Because so many people like it, restaurants that serve food from India are putting these dishes on their menus. Even though this food is very liked, most Chinese restaurants in the United States don’t make it. But Indian restaurants think it’s important to have it because it makes many people happy and is good for their business.
Original news source: Indo-Chinese cuisine makes a splash in US dining (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write down different Indo-Chinese dishes on small pieces of paper and put them in a hat or bowl. One student from each team will take turns picking a piece of paper and acting out the dish without speaking. Their team members must guess the dish within a certain time limit (e.g. 1 minute). The team that guesses the most dishes correctly wins.
– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will read the article and write a summary of the main points. They should focus on including the key information about Indo-Chinese food, such as its origin, popularity, and its presence in Indian and Nepalese restaurants in the United States. After writing their summaries, students can take turns sharing with their partner and discussing any differences or similarities in their summaries.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down different vocabulary words related to Indo-Chinese food on small pieces of paper and put them in a hat or bowl. One student will pick a word and draw a picture representing that word on the board. The rest of the class must guess the word based on the drawing. The student who guesses correctly can then take a turn drawing a word. This activity helps reinforce vocabulary and encourages creativity.
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have the students think about their own experiences with different types of fusion cuisine or international dishes. In pairs, they should discuss their favorite dishes and why they enjoy them. After the pair discussion, each student can share their thoughts with the whole class, promoting speaking and listening skills.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group should discuss and make predictions about the future popularity of Indo-Chinese food. They can consider factors such as changing food trends, cultural influences, and the impact of globalization. Each group should present their predictions, providing reasons for their opinions. This activity encourages critical thinking and speaking skills.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is Indo-Chinese food?
2. What are some examples of dishes in Indo-Chinese food?
3. Who makes Indo-Chinese food in the United States?
4. Why do many people like Indo-Chinese food?
5. Where can you find Indo-Chinese food?
6. Who likes to eat Indo-Chinese food?
7. Why do Indian restaurants serve Indo-Chinese food?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
People in the United (1)______ are starting to really like a special kind of food that mixes Indian and Chinese tastes. This food is called Indo-Chinese. It has things like (2)______ cauliflower and special noodles that many people, including those from India and Americans, enjoy eating. Some restaurants that (3)______ food from India and Nepal are making these dishes for their customers. A long time ago, people from China came to a place called Kolkata in India and (4)______ this kind of food. Now, you can find it in many places, like in the United States.
Lots of different people like to eat Indo-Chinese food. It has strong tastes and mixes (5)______ from China and India in a fun way. Kids and their families like to eat noodles and other dishes from this (6)______ of food. Because so many people like it, restaurants that serve food from India are putting these dishes on their menus. Even though this food is very liked, most (7)______ restaurants in the United States don’t make it. But Indian restaurants think it’s important to have it because it (8)______ many people happy and is good for their business.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is Indo-Chinese food?
2. How would you feel if you tried spicy cauliflower for the first time?
3. Do you like eating noodles? Why or why not?
4. What do you think is special about Indo-Chinese food?
5. Have you ever tried any food that mixes different tastes together? How did it taste?
6. Do you think it’s a good idea for Indian restaurants to have Indo-Chinese dishes on their menus? Why or why not?
7. How do you think Indo-Chinese food makes people happy?
8. What kind of food do you think people from China brought to India a long time ago?
9. Why do you think most Chinese restaurants in the United States don’t make Indo-Chinese food?
10. Do you think it’s important for restaurants to have dishes that many people like? Why or why not?
11. Have you ever tried any food from India or Nepal? Did you like it? Why or why not?
12. How do you think Indo-Chinese food is good for Indian restaurants’ business?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. United States
2. Indian
3. Chinese
4. food
5. spicy
6. cauliflower
7. noodles
8. restaurants
Meanings:
(a) A country between Canada and Mexico
(b) People from a country called China
(c) Long, thin, and squiggly things that you eat
(d) People from a country called India
(e) Something that makes your mouth feel hot
(f) Places where you can go to eat food
(g) Something that people eat
(h) A vegetable that looks like a white tree
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Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What is the name of the food that mixes Indian and Chinese tastes?
(a) Italian
(b) Mexican
(c) Indo-Chinese
(d) Japanese
2. Where did people from China make Indo-Chinese food a long time ago?
(a) New York City in the United States
(b) Kolkata in India
(c) Beijing in China
(d) London in England
3. Who enjoys eating Indo-Chinese food?
(a) Many people, including those from India and Americans
(b) Only people from China
(c) Only kids
(d) Only people from Nepal
4. Why are restaurants that serve food from India putting Indo-Chinese dishes on their menus?
(a) Because it’s cheap to make
(b) Because it’s easy to make
(c) Because it’s healthy
(d) Because many people like it and it’s good for their business
5. Do most Chinese restaurants in the United States make Indo-Chinese food?
(a) Yes
(b) No
(c) Sometimes
(d) Only on weekends
6. Who thinks it’s important to have Indo-Chinese food on their menus?
(a) American restaurants
(b) Chinese restaurants
(c) Italian restaurants
(d) Indian restaurants
7. What kind of food do kids and their families like to eat from Indo-Chinese cuisine?
(a) Pizza and hamburgers
(b) Sushi and sashimi
(c) Noodles and other dishes
(d) Tacos and burritos
8. Where can you find Indo-Chinese food?
(a) Many places, like in the United States
(b) Only in India
(c) Only in China
(d) Only in Nepal
True or False Questions:
1. It has dishes like bland cauliflower and standard noodles that few people enjoy eating.
2. People from China came to Kolkata in India a long time ago and made this kind of food.
3. Restaurants that serve food from India are removing Indo-Chinese dishes from their menus because few people like it.
4. Most Chinese restaurants in the United States make Indo-Chinese food.
5. Indo-Chinese food is a special kind of food that mixes Indian and Chinese tastes.
6. Some restaurants in the United States that serve food from India and Nepal make Indo-Chinese dishes.
7. Indian restaurants think it’s important to have Indo-Chinese food because it makes many people happy and is good for their business.
8. Indo-Chinese food is disliked by lots of different people, including kids and their families.
Go to answers ⇩
Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Writing Questions:
Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
1. What is the special kind of food that people in the United States are starting to like?
2. What are some examples of the food in Indo-Chinese cuisine?
3. Where did the Indo-Chinese food come from?
4. Why do Indian restaurants think it’s important to have Indo-Chinese food on their menus?
5. Who likes to eat Indo-Chinese food?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What is Indo-Chinese food?
Indo-Chinese food is a special kind of food that mixes Indian and Chinese tastes.
2. What are some examples of dishes in Indo-Chinese food?
Some examples of dishes in Indo-Chinese food are spicy cauliflower and special noodles.
3. Who makes Indo-Chinese food in the United States?
Some restaurants that serve food from India and Nepal make Indo-Chinese food in the United States.
4. Why do many people like Indo-Chinese food?
Many people like Indo-Chinese food because it has strong tastes and mixes things from China and India in a fun way.
5. Where can you find Indo-Chinese food?
You can find Indo-Chinese food in many places, like in the United States.
6. Who likes to eat Indo-Chinese food?
Kids and their families like to eat Indo-Chinese food.
7. Why do Indian restaurants serve Indo-Chinese food?
Indian restaurants serve Indo-Chinese food because it makes many people happy and is good for their business.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) States
(2) spicy
(3) serve
(4) made
(5) things
(6) kind
(7) Chinese
(8) makes
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. United States
Answer: (a) A country between Canada and Mexico
2. Indian
Answer: (d) People from a country called India
3. Chinese
Answer: (b) People from a country called China
4. food
Answer: (g) Something that people eat
5. spicy
Answer: (e) Something that makes your mouth feel hot
6. cauliflower
Answer: (h) A vegetable that looks like a white tree
7. noodles
Answer: (c) Long, thin, and squiggly things that you eat
8. restaurants
Answer: (f) Places where you can go to eat food
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What is the name of the food that mixes Indian and Chinese tastes?
Answer: (c) Indo-Chinese
2. Where did people from China make Indo-Chinese food a long time ago?
Answer: (b) Kolkata in India
3. Who enjoys eating Indo-Chinese food?
Answer: (a) Many people, including those from India and Americans
4. Why are restaurants that serve food from India putting Indo-Chinese dishes on their menus?
Answer: (d) Because many people like it and it’s good for their business
5. Do most Chinese restaurants in the United States make Indo-Chinese food?
Answer: (b) No
6. Who thinks it’s important to have Indo-Chinese food on their menus?
Answer: (d) Indian restaurants
7. What kind of food do kids and their families like to eat from Indo-Chinese cuisine?
Answer: (c) Noodles and other dishes
8. Where can you find Indo-Chinese food?
Answer: (a) Many places, like in the United States
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. It has dishes like bland cauliflower and standard noodles that few people enjoy eating. (Answer: False)
2. People from China came to Kolkata in India a long time ago and made this kind of food. (Answer: True)
3. Restaurants that serve food from India are removing Indo-Chinese dishes from their menus because few people like it. (Answer: False)
4. Most Chinese restaurants in the United States make Indo-Chinese food. (Answer: False)
5. Indo-Chinese food is a special kind of food that mixes Indian and Chinese tastes. (Answer: True)
6. Some restaurants in the United States that serve food from India and Nepal make Indo-Chinese dishes. (Answer: True)
7. Indian restaurants think it’s important to have Indo-Chinese food because it makes many people happy and is good for their business. (Answer: True)
8. Indo-Chinese food is disliked by lots of different people, including kids and their families. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧
